Will Ferrell e-mailed Steve Kerr a while back, and the Golden State Warriors coach did not believe it was really the actor writing.
A few exchanges later, Ferrell was warming up with Golden State on a night the Warriors needed a little fun and lightheartedness to forget their recent funk.
Klay Thompson scored 20 points after the comedy star surprised him and his teammates before the game, as Golden State snapped a five-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 112-97 on Tuesday.
Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA Today
“It was fun, and I’m glad we took advantage of it,” Stephen Curry said. “I think we fed off the energy. I was actually surprised, his form, he actually had some good rotation on the ball and endless energy. I don’t know how.”
Ferrell went through shooting, passing and dribbling while sporting a vintage-style headband and dressed in his Jackie Moon jersey from the 2008 hoops film Semi-Pro. It was a moment that was meant especially for Thompson — who dressed as Moon for Halloween three years ago and loves the movie.
Thompson watched it repeatedly during his two-year rehab from major surgeries on his knee and Achilles tendon, saying: “When I had some dark days I would put that movie on and it would make me smile. I’m very thankful for that film.”
“That was so cool, dreams do come true,” he added.
Kerr knew it meant a lot.
“We exchanged a couple of e-mails and then concocted the plan,” he said. “He’s a huge Klay Thompson fan and he knows how much Klay loves dressing up as Jackie Moon, so it was just kind of a natural fit, and it felt like a good time to do it just to make everybody laugh in a tough stretch of the season.”
“He was great. He came into our locker room, made the guys laugh. Everybody loved seeing him and hearing from him. He was hilarious,” Kerr said.
Jordan Poole also scored 20 points off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who took up the defensive intensity and energy to win for just the second time in their last nine games to complete a road-home back-to-back.
“We were locked in defensively tonight,” Poole said.
Nicolas Batum scored 17 points to lead the cold-shooting Clippers in a second straight defeat following their five-game winning streak.
Los Angeles shot 35.5 percent, with Reggie Jackson finishing 2 of 14, Terance Mann going 2 of 9 and Ivica Zubac missing all six of his shots.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
RSS